A gardening we will go, a gardening we will go, heigh ho the dairy-o, a gardening we will go.

This is the best time of year to garden. I need to give a “gardener beware” on edible landscaping. I do tuck vegetables into flower beds, but they are in beds in which I do not have any systemic chemicals that might be absorbed into my food source. Nor should anyone spray chemicals other than liquid fertilizer on edible plants or around them. Diluted dishwashing soap makes a good spray for aphids and Pam spray or WD40 is good to use on scale. Apply it to the wood containing the armored insect, and avoid the leaves. Yes, WD40. Do not apply oils when the temperature is over 80 degrees. The sun and heat sort of cook plants wearing oils and a sunburn is not flattering or healthy for plants. But, yes, WD40, with it’s little red straw aimed only at the infected wood. The latest cure-all I just learned. No point in growing our own foods if they are harmful to us.

I am having the best time watching my Mesclun lettuce mix grow. The leaves are over an inch tall now, with different shapes and colors. Mesclun mix is very expensive in the grocery stores; it is a bunch of tender young greens picked while immature and full of flavor. They can be a variety of lettuces and herbs, and even edible flowers. A really appetizing blend of colors, textures and flavors. It is believed to have originated with Franciscan Monks on the slopes. In Italy it is called Misticanza and has zesty chicories among the lettuce leaves. In Europe, they like stronger flavored greens. American greens are milder and sweeter. European mixes need to be eaten as soon as they are cut. Ours can last loosely packed and refrigerated for several days. The super thing is, these young lettuce leaves are so nutritious, much more so than iceberg lettuce. Being high in vitamin A and C, with foliate and minerals, they are a good way to start improving ones health. Because these greens are so young and tender, they easily absorb dressings, so a light vinaigrette is best. Also, this is why you need to keep pesticides far, far away from the growing greens.

I found several varieties of Mesclun seed mixes on the seed rack. I chose the gourmet mix– arugula, endive green curled, kale red Russian, lettuce red romaine, lettuce Parris Island cos, lettuce salad bowl and lettuce Lolla Rossa. But you plant a Tangy Mix, Paris Market Mix, Classic, Asian or mild mix. In our zone, plant the seeds January thru March and August thru December. Lettuce grows best cool weather of 55-70 degree nights. Lettuce bolts, sends up flowers and seeds, becoming tough and sour, in the heat of the summer and the longer sunshine days. Being shallow root plants, little soil is required. The problem comes in keeping them watered consistently, so I provided a depth of about four to five inches of soil in my planter. I often think of Dr. Price at ECHO and his rain gutter beds mounted on A frames. Ideal. Shake the seed package well to mix the blends, spread the seeds on the soil bed, cover lightly. I didn’t thin because I wanted a good mix and can’t tell one variety from another. The theory is, when the leaves get three or four more crops. Just don’t disturb the roots. It’s called “cut and come again.” This is all in planter boxes, if in the soil, beware of rabbits and slugs!

Be sure to cut your salad greens as needed to be really fresh. Wash them thoroughly before eating. A quick saute makes a great wilted salad, and I mean quick. They dissolve into mush. Cut early in the morning for crispiest taste. Later in the day they become limp and can be revived by cool water with a few ice cubes added for 10 to 15 minutes. Or you can pat dry, put with damp towel in a baggy and refrigerate no more than three days. Your salad stew needs nothing more than a light dressing. I am growing a hanging basket of nasturtiums. My mother and grandmother grew them and put them in salads. So, I may pop a nasturtium or two on top of my salad that’s low in calories, high in nutrition and very tasty. Bachelor buttons, calendulas, chive blossoms, marigolds and violets are also tasty edibles. My mother-in-law did a good number with dandelion greens. These salads are a treat for the eyes as well as taste, a regular rainbow of greens.

Joyce Comingore is a master gardener, president of James E. Hendry Chapter of the American Hibiscus Society, National Board member and Garden Club of Cape Coral member.